Something Golden

13.

"I will allow one question Granger."

Her eyebrows pull together as she takes a moment to decide. I don't need legilimency to know that there's at least a hundred she's having to choose from.

"Okay." She says, letting out a deep breath. "I have one."

"Go on."

"Occlumency-" "Of course." I groan. She glares at me before continuing. "How do you know so much about it?"

"The same way you know how to tie your shoes." I simply state.

"You were taught, by who? Why?"

"I believe that's two extra questions I didn't warrant." Raising a brow.

Her gaze remains locked on me while mine scans over the cut across her left cheek once more before flicking back to her eyes.

"My mother taught me last summer for reasons unknown to me."

Her teeth tug at her bottom lip, my jaw clenches.

"Just one more question?"

"Granger." I sigh.

"Please?" She asks, batting her eyes and placing her hand on top of mine causing every muscle in my body to stiffen.

This is the first time she's ever initiated physical contact between the two of us, besides the time she punched me in the face third year. Bloody brilliant day that was, it took everything in me to not get a hard on when she dug the tip of her wand into the side of my neck.

I look down at her hand stacked on top of mine, her fingers gripping gently onto me. If answering some trivial questions is all it takes to get her to continue to touch me then I'll gladly sit here all night doing so.

"What is it you would like to know Granger?"

Her eyes light up, a giddy smile appearing on her face as she celebrates that her doe eyed look worked.

Scratch everything I've ever said. This is my favorite version of her.

The Next Morning

I've just poured myself a cup of tea, the rim barely at my lips when the worst sound I've ever experienced rings in my ear.

"We need to talk Malfoy."

My eyes shift up and to my left to see Potter hovering over me, fuming with rage.

"Come on Potter, at least let me enjoy my tea before dealing with the less fortunate." I raise my cup to my mouth again, this time it's smacked out of my hands.

Unbothered, I grab a new one and fill it. As I'm lifting it up I can see his hand coming towards me out of the corner of my eye. With my left hand I firmly grab his wrist, stopping him mid swing while I take a sip.

Once I've placed my cup back on the table I stand, still holding onto him.

"Okay, now you may throw your fit." I tell him.

He yanks his arm from my grasp. "What did you do to her?"

I raise a brow. "You're going to have to be more specific than that."

"Hermione!" He shouts, if everyone wasn't already staring from the sound of my cup crashing onto the ground, they certainly are now. "I saw her cheek and I know you had something to do with it. I thought maybe somewhere in that fucked up head of yours would be some type of moral code, but I was wrong. Apparently Draco Malfoy-"

"You better choose your next words wisely Potter." My voice low and threatening.

"-Beats girls!"

I grab him by the front of his robes and slam his back down onto the table.

"What is going on?" Granger screams, rushing up to us. "Leave it Hermione! I'm handling things."

"Yes Harry, you really look like it. I told you to stay out of it!"

"Well I'm not! He can't keep going around doing whatever he wants without any repercussions. It's time he finally pays." He says, looking back at me.

"And you're going to be the one to do that?" I chuckle, lifting his body up and slamming it back down. "You're even dumber than I thought."

I'm just about to strangle Potter with his own tie when I feel a hand on my shoulder, her hand. Unlike last night by the lake my body doesn't tense, instead it relaxes.

"Draco." The sound of my given name rolling off the tip of her tongue makes my eye twitch and my grip on him to release. I take a step back and Potter climbs off the table, readjusting his shirt.

Granger steps between the two of us and looks up at me. "Are you okay?"

Glancing over her shoulder I see Potter and nearly the entire damn great hall staring at us. Without saying anything, I storm out.

I'm halfway down the corridor when I hear her shout for me. Coming to a halt, I listen as her footsteps close in, refusing to turn around and look at her.

"I'm sorry about that, I told him last night that you had nothing to do with it. I told him to stay out of it."

Her hand finds its way to my shoulder again. She needs to stop doing that. If she keeps initiating physical contact I'm going to take it as a sign that she's perfectly fine with me pinning her against the wall and devouring her.

"There you go lying again Granger." I say, turning to face her.

"What?"

"Last time I checked I did play a part in what happened to you." Caressing her cheek, I run my thumb over the wound.

She takes a sharp breath in, slightly jumping at the contact before relaxing. "It wasn't your fault Malfoy."

"Back to Malfoy huh?" Tilting my head. "If I hadn't avoided you then this never would have happened."

She leans her head into my hand, bringing her own up and resting it against mine.

"Then stop avoiding me."

This witch is going to be the ruin of me.